Consider Anatomical Gifts as an Alternative to Funerals or Cremations

There are lots of reasons to make an anatomical gift of a body. This is usually an alternative to a burial or a cremation Albany. Both for-profit and non-profit organizations exist to accept bodies that are donated to science or medicine. Also, many of these organizations will return the cremated remains to a family member after a certain amount of time has passed. One reason to consider this option is that it usually doesn't cost anything for the family. The other reason is that this gift of a body can help train doctors and advance science.

How Does an Anatomical Gift Work?

These organizations will accept bodies and transport bodies for use by scientists, medical schools, and other similar organizations. There is usually no charge to families for either transporting bodies or accepting bodies. At the end of some period of time, several months to a couple of years, the organizations may even return cremated remains to family members for final disposition.

There are two ways to find organizations that accept bodies for science:

• Some organizations act as body brokers, and they send remains to appropriate facilities.

• Local medical schools may also accept bodies directly from people who live in the area.

What happens to these bodies after they have been used by scientists or doctors? 

They are used either for scientific research or for educational purposes. For example, medical schools use cadavers to help students learn about organs and surgery. Depending upon the organization, donors might have to sign a form that they wish to have the remains back. However, most organizations that accept bodies also have a procedure to return remains after they have been cremated.

Donating a body to science is a worthy act. There really shouldn't be a reason to be embarrassed about choosing this option instead of opting for a traditional burial and funeral. Families can still hold a nice memorial service for their loved one. After the cremated remains get returned, the family can choose to bury them, scatter the ashes, or even keep the ashes in an urn. Of course, it's helpful if this option gets discussed in advance with the loved one before he or she passes away.